Posts tagged as:

marketing

How to Create a Wikipedia Page for your Band/Music

by Disc Makers June 28, 2011

WikipediaGetting a Wikipedia page approved for your music project can be tricky. It can also be great for building credibility and gaining exposure for your music.

Because of the sheer number of relatively unknown independent artists out there, Wikipedia has become very strict in its guidelines for accepting artist pages. Wikipedia editors are composed of volunteers from around the world and they all interpret Wikipedia’s guidelines a little differently, so, mileage may vary. Read more…

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An Innovative Approach to an Album Release

by Disc Makers June 17, 2011

Kaiser ChiefsWe are always on the lookout for new album release strategies. Here’s the latest from Billboard.biz and the Kaiser Chiefs:

U.K. guitar group Kaiser Chiefs is taking an innovative approach to the release of its new studio album, “The Future is Medieval” (Fiction/B-Unique Records), by allowing fans to choose their own track listing and album artwork.

Read more…

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Sell the Story – Not the CD

by Scott James April 26, 2011

flannel ballIn 2009 Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn tried out a little experiment. They spent $128.74 on a bunch of yard sale junk and hired professional writers to draw up interesting stories about each item. Then they put everything up on eBay with the stories that they created to see what happened. Read more…

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Are You an Artist or Just Someone Who Plays Music?

by Scott James March 31, 2011

Many of us use the term ‘independent artist’ or ‘recording artist’ to describe ourselves, but are we really artists, or are we just people who play music?

To answer that question we need to decide what it means to be an artist. Many of us grew up in an environment where we were only taught what art means at a superficial level. Maybe our first definition of an artist was someone who was really good at making realistic paintings or drawings or maybe someone who made weird abstract creations that were supposedly only understood by special people. Read more…

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Combining Forces = WINNING!

by Scott James March 17, 2011

Combining ForcesBeing an independent artist doesn’t mean you need to take the word ‘Independent’ too literally. Chances are, you’re missing big opportunities to take your career to new levels if you’re not actively looking for chances to join forces with other artists and industry pros. A piece of something big is worth a lot more than all of little or nothing. If you feel like you’re bashing your head against the wall trying to get people to your shows or to buy your music on your own then changing your approach can make all the difference in the world. Read more…

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The Album Release Schedule Is Back!

by Disc Makers February 24, 2011

CD Baby and IndieGuide.com have put together a very interesting and helpful album release schedule – updated for 2011.

Back in the late-90s at Sony Music Entertainment, we had these incredibly detailed setup schedules for albums. That included everything from getting artwork approvals, passing elements to distribution, setting up artist interviews, the works.

Read more…

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Join us at the New Music Seminar – February 14-16

by Disc Makers February 3, 2011

New Music SeminarAre you looking to get signed as an artist? Come see the Presidents of the Indies and Major Labels explain how! Are you looking to make more money as an artist, manager, label or agent? See the 22 18-minute presentations from the CEOs of the top companies explain how! Visit one on one with 24 mentors at the NMS Mentoring Sessions or the Songwriting, Voice and Producer’ Workshops, and find for your next business partner. Then network with over 80 of the top CEO’s and others speaking over 3 nights and 2 days at the New Music Seminar in Los Angeles February 14-16. Read more…

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Top 5 Music Business Mistakes of 2010

by Rick Goetz January 28, 2011

I’ve never been one for top 5 or top 10 lists, but I have seen these mistakes so many times in the past year, I figured they needed to be documented. #1 Waiting. You may want to reconsider. With replication costs low and mailings that can be made for little more than the cost of a stamp, putting your message on disc may be the smartest way to tell your company’s story and interest new and existing customers in your latest offer. Read more…

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DVDs for B2B – Six reasons DVDs work for business communication

by Lee Purcell January 24, 2011

Enamored with the notion of hosting your presentations and technical information exclusively on the Web? You may want to reconsider. With replication costs low and mailings that can be made for little more than the cost of a stamp, putting your message on disc may be the smartest way to tell your company’s story and interest new and existing customers in your latest offer. Read more…

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Licensing Your Music Ain’t Easy – Be Cool

by Scott James January 14, 2011

I recently had lunch with the founder and CEO of a popular website for independent artists. It was great to catch up and hear about all the exciting things going on with the site. On the other hand it was a bit of a concern hearing about some of what he and his staff have had to put up with recently in dealing with some of the more, shall we say, frustrated and/or unstable musicians that use his services. Read more…

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Leverage Your Way to Success

by Scott James December 16, 2010

Scott James concertIn the course of your journey as a musician there will be some things that go right for you. What you choose to do about those things will go a long way towards determining your success (or lack thereof).

The concept of leverage is all about finding your opportunities to capitalize on the things that will give you the best return for your efforts. Read more…

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@ – A Simple and Powerful Social Promotion Tool

by Chris Robley December 6, 2010

There is one character that should appear in most of your Facebook posts and tweets. No, not YOU, silly! I’m talking about the “at symbol” (@). For many of us, it resides on the same keyboard key as the number 2. And now that we know WHERE it is, let’s look at WHY you should regularly use it in your social media communications.

The simple answer is that the @ symbol has the ability to create a linkage between your social media profile and that of another person’s. Read more…

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What’s the Best Time to Release Your Album?

by Disc Makers November 19, 2010

All too often, musicians rush their new album’s or EP’s release without considering what the best time-frame for that release may be. Just because your album is done doesn’t mean you have to rush it out – there are numerous factors to take into account before you confirm your release date.

Here are some tips on how to schedule and promote your album’s release: Read more…

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10 Things Bands Can Do to Book More Live Shows

by Chris Bracco November 16, 2010

10 Things Bands Can Do to Book More Live ShowsAssuming that you have strong songs and an kickass live show, here are ten simple things you can do to get more gigs:

1. Create a YouTube channel for your band.
Upload a live performance video on YouTube that represents your band at its best. Read more…

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Hot Links! How Hyperlinks Can Make Your Music Easier to Find Online

by CD Baby October 27, 2010

hot linksDid you know that the hyperlinks you create can boost your search engine ranking and improve your web presence? It’s true! Using relevant link text when you link back to your website, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc. will boost and broaden the search ranking of the page you are linking to. These keyword-studded “back links” will make it easier for your fans to find your web pages in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing because these pages will rank better in search results. Read more…

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